Koishiteru
by Erina-chan
Summary: I just rewrote the ending of episode 70, not that it was bad or anything, just on a whim. Thinking about how they could have got together if the second movie had never happened. It's short and strange! (COMPLETE)


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Koishiteru

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"Syaoran-sama? I'll check your luggage," Wei said, offering a kind but curt bow before leaving the young boy alone with his thoughts. Syaoran stared absent-mindedly up at the flashing departures board.

_Will Sakura be mad that I didn't tell her?_

_I wonder what her answer would have been…_

It's a little awkward not knowing…

**"Syaoran-kun!" **He recognised the voice immediately of course, but he stood still, as if suddenly transfixed on the departures display as he heard the patter of the heels of her shoes grow louder. Shyly he turned around, feeling his cheeks illuminate on cue as he stared at the girl who was staring at him, panting hard from running, disbelief in her eyes.

**"How…" **he began, but left his question unfinished. Sakura blushed hotly, and averted his gaze, fumbling for something to say.

**"I-I… um…" **she stammered, fidgeting with her fingers, and Syaoran smiled slightly. Sakura stared at him, almost in fright. They were standing just over two metres apart, regarding each other warily as if the other were an enemy. Syaoran couldn't blame her for not knowing what to say – he hadn't known what to say all the times he had tried to tell her that he loved her, and he didn't know what to say now. 

**"Syaoran-sama?" **came Wei's voice, **"here." **He handed Syaoran the stuffed bear that he had left behind. Syaoran felt the soft texture of the fabric he had used to make it, and his fingers brushed lightly across where his name was sewn into the material. Sakura beamed her usual smile, understanding.

**"May I have that bear?" **she asked quietly, smiling broadly at him, inducing a smile from him also. Syaoran didn't answer verbally – he held out the navy blue teddy and walked slowly forwards. Sakura followed his lead, and they met in the middle, clasping hands almost automatically around the bear and staring at each other breathlessly.

Syaoran smiled warmly, for surely this meant she was accepting his love, even if it wasn't declaring her own. However, behind him he could sense how Wei was waiting patiently but worriedly at the gate, ready to usher him on to the plane that would take him home – to China, to Meiling, to his mother…

He took a deep breath, to steady his nerves, and leant in towards her cheek.

**"I'll miss you," **he murmured into her ear, feeling her tense and relax again as his lips moved against her cheek in the process. His face burned again, and he began to withdraw. He stared at her sadly when he noticed her eyes were welling up with tears. **"Don't cry, it won't be any help if you cry," **he murmured, smiling. Sakura's bottom lip trembled, as that one sentence had reminded her of all the times Syaoran had said that to her.

**"Syaoran-kun!" **she wailed, startling him and everybody nearby, before throwing herself into his arms, the bear pressed between them, almost forgotten as she slipped her arms around his back. Syaoran stared straight ahead of him in paralysed shock for a moment or two, before clumsily placing his hands on her waist and attempting to calm her.

**"It'll be fine," **he said, bossily. **"Like Meiling said, Hong Kong isn't that far away from Japan – we can see each other whenever we want!" **He endeavoured an encouraging smile, but Sakura looked at him seriously.

**"Syaoran-kun, I…"**

"I am very sorry, Syaoran-sama!" interrupted Wei, cautiously, from where he stood by the boarding gate. **"The plane is almost ready to leave…" **he said, apologetically. Syaoran let go of Sakura, and took a step backwards from her. The bear fell from between them, and he bent to the floor to retrieve it. 

Sakura fell to her knees decisively, and Syaoran gazed at her. She smiled, and cupped his face in her hands feeling his cheeks grow even hotter under her fingertips.

**"W-what?" **he asked, stammering under Sakura's intense gaze.

**"Syaoran-sama!" **persisted Wei from the gate.

**"Syaoran-kun," **Sakura said, matter-of-factly, **"koishiteru."**

Syaoran stared, somewhat annoyed that she had apparently found it so much easier to say than he had. 

**"Me too," **he beamed, leaning in confidently to kiss her cheek. Sakura however, still had her hands on his face, and averted it to her lips. The two got to their feet slowly, their lips never losing contact, but barely touching.

**"SYAORAN-SAMA!" **called Wei, sounding quite frantic now. Syaoran reached his hands up to place them on Sakura's, still cupping his cheeks, and reluctantly pulled them away. He thrust the bear into her hands before breaking the kiss and opening his eyes. He watched Sakura's eyes flutter open, her cheeks a far more subtle red than his. 

**"Koishiteru, Sakura-chan," **he smiled, before turning steadily and walking towards Wei. Syaoran turned at the entrance to the boarding tunnel, staring back at where Sakura stood, motionless and flushed. **"I'll see you soon, Sakura!" **he called, before disappearing into the grey shadows.

Standing in the middle of the now mostly empty lounge area, Sakura hugged the bear tight to her like it was sustaining her.

**"Soon…" **she half-repeated to herself, before wandering over to the large viewing windows, and staring helplessly out at the army of airplanes. One began to move out towards the runway, and Sakura stared sadly out after it. But Syaoran was right – Tomoeda and Hong Kong weren't _that_ far apart.

Pressing one hand lightly against the glass of the window, Sakura watched Syaoran's plane begin to hurtle down the runway. As it rose into the sky, she sighed and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a Card, and ran her fingers reassuringly along the edges.

_We'll meet again, right? _she thought happily to herself, as she slipped the Sakura Card born of her love back into her dress pocket.


End file.
